遗书 (yí shū) — (noun) a letter or note written just before one…

Definition

Two distinct senses: a final letter or note written before death (especially a suicide note), or in literary use, ancient scattered/lost texts/books.

noun

a letter or note written just before one's death, especially a suicide note(literary) ancient books or documents that have been scattered or lost

Measure word · 封

遗书。
Tā liú xià le yì fēng yí shū.
He left a suicide note.
遗书。
Zhè xiē yí shū jì zǎi le gǔ dài de lì shǐ.
These lost ancient texts record ancient history.
遗书。
Jǐng chá fā xiàn le tā de yí shū.
The police found his deathbed letter.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

遗yíleft behind

书shūwriting; letter

遗 means left behind, and 书 means a writing or letter, so the word is a writing left behind.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 遺; 遗 is its simplified writing.

辶貴遺

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuòmove

Sound part声符shēngfú

貴

貴guì遺yí

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 遺 pairs 辶 (move) with 貴 as a sound part; the simplified 遗 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the old sound part.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 書; 书 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

聿聿yùwriting brush

Sound part声符shēngfú

者

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 書 uses 聿, a writing brush, and 者 for its sound; the simplified 书 is a later shorthand.

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